What are the six phases in a grid OD programme?

Answer 1

Grid Training

Grid training is an outgrowth of the managerial grid approach to leadership (Blacke and Mouton, 1978). It is an instrumental approach to laboratory training. Sensitivity training is supplemented with self-administered instruments (Benny, Bradford and Lippitt, 1964). The analysis of these instruments helps in group development and in the learning of group members. This technique is widely used and has proved effective.

Grid training for OD is completed in six phases. They are:

· laboratory-seminar training, which aims at acquainting participants with concepts and material used in grid training;

· a team development phase, involving the coming together of members from the same department to chart out as to how they will attain a 9 x 9 position on the grid;

· inter-group development aims at overall OD. During this phase, conflict situations between groups are identified and analysed;

· organization goal setting is based on participative management, where participants contribute to and agree upon important goals for the organization;

· goal attainment aims at achieving goals which were set during the phase of organizational goal setting; and

· stabilization involves the evaluation of the overall programme and making suggestions for changes if appropriate.

Survey Feedback

Survey feedback is based on the study (survey) of the unit of analysis (such as work group, a department or a whole organization) by using questionnaires (Taylor and Bowers, 1972). The resulting data are then used to identify and analyse problems and propose a suitable action plan to overcome them. A typical survey questionnaire would generate information on leadership, organizational climate and satisfaction (Table 1).